MLB Insider Compares Former Gators Jac Caglianone To MLB's Top Stars

Former Florida Gator Jac Caglianone earned himself a big-league call-up Sunday night, which sent social media and Kansas City Royal fans into a frenzy. 

ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan added fuel to the fire Monday with his comments about the slugger during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. 

“This is what Jac Caglianone is,” Passan said, “he is the guy that has the kind of power that Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have. There are very few guys in baseball who can say that.”

Getting compared to the reigning MVPs in Major League Baseball builds up the hype. To give you an idea of what is expected of Caglianone, Judge and Ohtani were the top two players in home runs last season. Third place in MLB trailed by 10. 

Caglianone surged through the minors. He spent less than a year in the minors (79 total games) before getting the call. In 50 games across Double-A and Triple-A this season, he slashed .322/.389/.593 with 15 homers and 56 RBIs. 

Passan said his bat-to-ball skills are an area of his game that remains consistent at every level. He rarely finds himself striking out, being retired that way 46 times in just the 50 games played at AA and AAA. 

Passan has high expectations for the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 Draft. 

“If Jac Caglianone is what evaluators believe he is going to be, the Royals are going to have perennial MVP candidates hitting back-to-back in that lineup,” the MLB insider said. “The guy is so skilled, though. 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, absolute unit. Even if he does not get off to an incredible start, he’s going to hit a ball 450, 475 feet just like that, that you’re going to see and say ‘Oh my god, how does a human being do that.’ 

The fellow MVP candidate that Passan is alluding to is shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. He had his breakout year last season with an All-Star appearance, a Gold Glove award and a second-place finish in MVP voting behind Judge.

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